This was a thoroughly engaging coming of age story that was like a glass of champagne for the mind. It did seem to have quite the tonal shift a little over half way through that made it quite profound. However, I wish it could have stayed a mere romp of early 1940's frivolity. On the whole I did enjoy my time with these characters and the mystery of who's daughter Angela is kept me turning the pages. the latter half of the novel felt a little rushed I think owing to the fact that more than half of the book was spent on a few years of the main characters life and then we sort of breeze through the latter half which felt a bit disorienting. I am still a huge fan of Gilbert's writing though and ability to immerse one completely in a story.